Big'N Juicy...

I posted a while ago about  Water Colouring with Distress Inks  and I said that the "Big'N Juicy" inks could also give a good effect.  They are good value for your hard earned cash as there are about five different colurs in each pad.

But what ever you do  DO NOT  store them upside down .... or on their side ...  as all the colours will run into each other and you will just have one horrible mess.

Store them right side up and level ...

Because of the amoung of pigment in these pads you would need to take care,  and personally I feel that they are a little too vibrant to get a good skin look.

For this floral image I have used the inks to get the soft look in the petals  and I am quite happy with the result.... and I have used the Hydrangea ink pad. 

This beautiful Poppy stamp is from Clarity Stamp and who says poppies have to be red....

This is another style of flower and and is from  Inkylicous  and this has been coloured using the Waterfall  ink pad.

If you press the closed lid firmly down onto the inked pads then you will get some of the ink transferred to the inside of the lid and this can then be used as your palette.

Alternatively use a white tile so that you can see the true colours.

Hugs xx

Not cheap ... but useful

A useful addition for any cardmaker and one that can save you lots of time and frustration if you hate to cut out shapes ..... like me!

I really can't be bothered with all that fiddly stuff and so  I bought myself  a  Die Cutter   a long time ago.

The first machine I ever bought  was the Big Shot from Sizzix, and it has been a little work horse for me from day one.

It can do everything that I need it to do from cutting out shapes to taking some of the embossing folders.

But as the years have gone on and I have started to use more and more Spellbinders  I decided to invest in the Grand Calibur.

Not because there was anything wrong with the Big Shot but purely because of the cutting area.

The Big Shot will only has an A5 area where as the Calibur has an A4 which means that I use the larger Grand dies and the Impressabilites all from Spellbinders.

But whichever one you decide to go for ... and there are lots on the market all with varying price tags ... just make sure that it will do what you want it to do because they are a considered purchase for you to add to your list.

Hugs xx

Scoring Board

To me this is an essential piece of quipement and one I use every day whenever I have a card or a project that needs to be folded carefully.

This is the Ultimate Pro from   Crafters Companion  and is one of the best things I have ever invested in.

With this I can score card and papers and the sizes I need are all marked on the  board.   I can make boxes and envelopes to suit my cards and several different styles of card including K-cards, aperture cards, exploding boxes, drawer cards and many many more.

The inside is where I can store my trimmer and bone folders ... which come with the board ... and there are adjustable pegs that will enable you to tie perfect ribbon bows everytime.        It even has it's own paper trimmer stored inside too.

It comes complete with a booklet that gives you all the measuring ...  ready done ... for several box and envelope sizes and detailed instructions on how to use the board so that you can get the best results.

Hugs xx

Paper Trimmer

I find a   Paper Trimmer   very useful in my cardmaking as it enables me to get a neat edge to my project.

You can get them with straight edges as well as fancy ones to vary the look on your cards.

This was my choice and I got it for half  price in the local craft shop sale ... so was I pleased or what????

It is  both a  Rotary trimmer and a  Guillotine combined and the trimmer has different cutters that can be changed at the twist ot the knob.

The cutters can also be used freestyle too.

It is from  Purple Cows  and the two pieces seperate to be used individually.

The 12" cutting platform means I can use larger papers and card for everything that I want to do.

Hugs xx

Heat gun

So yesterday we got started making cards and we got together some of the basics.

One of the things that will help you is a   Heat Gun   and they are all different prices to suit your particular budget.

This is the one I use and it has a dual heat setting.

The little metal stand at the front of the gun will allow you to stand it down without burning the work top

It was not expensive and I use it to heat  embossing powders to give a raised edge to my designs.

I can heat set any stamped images, dry ribbons that have been coloured and Enamel my flowers.

I can also use shrink plastic to make small embellishments .... and if these terms are alien to you then you can always visit Card Making Magic for a more detailed explanation on each subject covered.

There are lots of other ways to use the tool and there are many on the market ... so shop around to get the best one for your money.

Hugs xx